The crazy and reckless
by Gemmortia
Summary: Exploration of an affair had by Elodin and Fela, starting with Fela's point of view from the class Kvothe attends where Elodin tries to teach him to be patient with his naming classes.


"Today," Elodin said brightly, "we will talk about things that cannot be talked about. Specifically, we will discuss why some things cannot be disgussed."  
I looked up to him and smiled as I saw the energetic bounce in his step that accompanied him so often in class. I couldn't help but look at him. He was beautiful. Well, to me at least. His wavy blond hair hanging down over his brow, his clean shaven face and strong jaw line drew my attention the first time I saw him when I arrived at the university.

He is tall and broad shouldered and after further observation, his striking green eyes became my favourite thing about him. He had a way of looking at you that made you feel special and like you were important that always drew me to him. His voice was deep and loud, with a tone of child like excitement that endeared him to me.

"The majority of important things cannot be said outright," Elodin said. "They cannot be made explicit. They can only be implied.' He looked out at the handful of students in the otherwise empty lecture hall. "Name something that cannot be explained." He pointed at Uresh. "Go."  
Uresh considered for a moment." Humour. If you explain a joke , it isn't a joke."  
Elodin nodded, then pointed at Fenton.

"Naming?" Fenton asked.  
"That is a cheap answer, Re'lar," Elodin said with a hint of reproach. "But you correctly anticipated the theme of my lecture, so we will let it slide." He pointed at Kvothe.

"There isn't anything that can't be explained," he said firmly. "If something can be understood, it can be explained. A person might not be able to do a good job of explaining it. But that just means it's hard, not that it's impossible."  
Elodin held up a finger. "Not hard or impossible. Merely pointless. Some things can only be infered." He gave him an infuriating smile that made me stiffle my laughter. "By the way, your answer should have been 'music.'"

"Music explains itself," Kvothe said. "It is the road, and it is the map that shows the road. It is both together."  
"But can you explain how music works?" Elodin asked.  
"Of course," he said. Though he didn't look to sure about it.  
"Can you explain how music works without using music?"

That brought him up short. While he was trying to think of a response, Elodin turned to me.  
"Love?" I asked.  
"Elodin raised an eyebrow as if mildly scandalized by this, as we shared a look that had me slightly confused, then nodded approvingly.  
"Hold on a moment," Kvothe interrupted.

I rolled my eyes at him. He always had something to prove. "We're not done. I don't know it I could explain music without using it, but that's besides the point. That's not explanation, it's translation."  
Elodin's face lit up. "That's it exactly!" he said. "Translation. All explicit knowledge is translated knowledge, and all translation is imperfect."  
"So all explicit knowledge is imperfect?" Kvothe asked. "Tell Master Brandeur geometry is subjective. I'd love to watch that discussion."

"Not all knowledge," Elodin admitted. "But most."  
"Prove it," he said.  
"You can't prove non-existence," Uresh interjected in a matter-of-fact way. He sounded exasperated. 'Flawed logic."  
Kvothe looked annoyed at that.

"Demonstrate it then, " He demanded.  
"Fine, Fine." Elodin walked over to where I sat. "We'll use Fela's example." He took my hand and pulled me to my feet, motioning Kvothe to follow. I blushed as I felt the heat of his strong hand touch my skin. I couldn't help but want to know what it was like for him to touch me in other places.

I avoided looking at Elodin's face, a little shocked by my brazen thoughts as he arranged Kvothe and I so we stood facing each other in profile to the class. "Here we have two lovely young people," he said. "Their eyes meet across the room."  
Elodin pushed Kvothe's shoulder and he stumbled towards me half a step. "He says hello. She says hello. She smiled. He shifts uneasily from foot to foot." I tried not to laugh as Kvothe stoped shuffling on his feet even though others did so freely.  
"

There is something ephemeral in the air," Elodin said, moving to stand behind me. He put his hands on my shoulders, leaning close to my ear and I couldn't help the heat that welled up inside of me as he stood a nit too close to my body than was appropriate. "She loves the lines of him," he said softly. "She is curious about the shape of his mouth. She wonders if this could unclasp the secret pieces of her heart to him." I looked down, my cheeks flushing a bright scarlet.

My mind was in overdrive, trying to understand what he meant by saying that to me. Was he trying to tell me something or was I just over analysing something yet again? I sometimes found him staring at me but didn't really know what it meant. Not that I minded the attention, I certainly returned it but he never did anything about it. That was the annoying thing.  
He walkes away from me but I don't look up, it was too embarrassing.

"Kvothe looks at her, and for the first time he understands the impulse that first drove men to paint. To sculpt. To sing."  
He circled us again, eventually standing between us like a priest about to perform a wedding. "There exists between them something tenuous and delicate. They can both feel it. Like static in the air. Faint as frost."  
He looked at Kvothe full in the face. His dark eyes serious. "Now. What do you do?"

Kvothe pauses for a moment, a look of utter bewilderment on his face, as though he has no idea what to do. For once.  
"There are three paths here," Elodin said to the class. He held up one finger. "First. Our young lovers can try to express what they feel. They can try to play the half-heard son their hearts are singing."

Elodin paused for effect. "This is the path of the honest fool, and it will go badly. This thing between you is too tremulous for talk. It is a spark so faint even the most careful breath might snuff it out."  
Master Namer shook his head. "Even if you are clever and have a way with words, you are doomed in this. Because while your mouths might speak the same language, your hearts do not." He looked at Kvothe intently. "This is an issue of translation."

Elodin held up two fingers. "The second path is more careful. You talk of small things. The weather. A familiar play. You spend time in company. You hold hands. In doing so you slowly learn the secret meanings of each other's words. This way, when the time comes you can speak with subtle meanings underneath your words, so there is understanding on both sides."  
Elodin made a sweeping gesture toward Kvothe.

"Then there is the third option. The path of Kvothe." He strode to stand shoulder to shoulder with him, facing me. Our eyes meet and I take a deep breath to keep myself from drowning in the emerald depths. He looked a little apologetic and I raised an eyebrow at him accusingly, wondering what he was going to do that needed to be apologised for. "You sense something between you. Something wonderful and delicate."

He gave a romantic, lovelorn sigh. "And, because you desire certainty in all things, you decide to force the issue. You take the shortest route. Simplest is best, you think." Elodin extended his own hands and made wild grasping motions in my direction. "So you reach out and grab this young woman's breasts."  
There was a burst of startled laughter from everyone except Kvothe and myself.

He scowled. I crossed my arms in front of my chest and my flush spread down my neck until it was hidden by my shirt. Anger flooded through me as I stared at Elodin. it was humiliating and degrading. I knew he was trying to make a point to Kvothe who seemed impatient and unwilling to learn what Elodin had to teach but that didn't mean he had to be such an asshole about it.

Elodin turned his back to me and looked at Kvothe.  
"Re'lar Kvothe," he said seriously. "I am trying to wake your sleeping mind to the subtle language the world is whispering. I an trying to seduce you into understanding. I am trying to _teach_ you." He leaned forward close to Kvothes face and whispers."Quit grabbing my tits." Kvothe narrowed his eyes at Elodin but said nothing.

"You're dismissed. Fela stay behind please." He said and the class disintergrated. Kvothe gathered his things quickly and stormed out of the room and the other students left quickly too. I walked back over the desk I had occupied and gathered all of my things slowly, wanting to put off talking with him until I had calmed somewhat. I tended to be rather rash and impulsive when I was angry. I put all my things in my bag and sighed when I had nothing else to pack away.

I hoisted my bag over my shoulder and turned around. I jumped slightly when I saw Elodin leaning back against the desk next to mine, watching me with an intense gaze.  
"You wanted to see me?" I asked, not letting my surprise effect my response.  
"I did." He said and then continued to stare at me. I met his stare for as long as I could, but after a few moments, it became too intense so I averted my eyes to my hands.

As my fingers fiddled with the strap of my bag I wondered what it was he could possibly want with me. I was hardly anything special. I mean sure I was smart, but other than that, I had nothing going for me.  
"What are you thinking about right now?" He aske finally and I raised my eyes to meet his once more. They were inquisitive as usual, but there was no hint of the vaugeness that was usually there when he was in one of his erraticly crazy moods.

When he was like that, he tended to not show up for class, instead he would do random things like go for walks on the rooftops or start fights at a pub and then slip away unseen as the rest of the occupants fight with each other.  
"Why do you want to know?" I asked, causing him to smile slightly, drawing my attention down to his lips. They were red against his pale skin and full. I bit my lip as I stared at them, unable to keep thoughts of kissing him out of my mind.

"Because you fascinate me." He said as he stepped closer. My breath hitched in my throat at the body heat I could feel radiating from him. He was incredibly warm and I closed my eyes, not wanting to do anything that would get me in trouble. I didn't know whether it was against the universities rules to have relationships with the masters or not and I didn't want to be whipped for kissing him, no matter how much I wanted to. It wouldn't be worth it.

"I'm sorry about class today. Kvothe needed to be taught a lesson about patience. It seems that that boy only learns things when they shock him or interest him. I thought the former would be better in this occasion." He explained and I nodded in understanding.  
"Fela." He said and I snapped my eyes open only to see he was closer than I thought he was. If I leaned forward the tiniest amount, our lips would touch. I clenched my fists and tried to move backwards but I hit a desk.

He reached out his hands to steady me, placing them on my waist and I gasped at the contact.  
"What are you doing?" I managed to choke out as I looked up at him. He seemed to be torn as if having an internal battle with himself.  
"I'm not entirely sure." He said, his voice deeper than before and taking on a husky quality that made me shiver in his arms.

His eyes shifted from mine, down to my lips and I leaned forward just a tad, letting him know with out words that I wouldn't be averse to him kissing me right now, no matter now wrong it was. He nuzzled his nose along mine as he moved his hands up from my hips and over my shoulders to my face. He caressed my cheeks softly as our breath became shallow as the anticipation built up into a tingling desire for more.

There was a knock at the door and we sprung apart. I went back to fiddling with my bag as Elodin straightened his back and addressed the person at the door to come in.  
"Sir, I was wondering if I could have a word. I summoned fire." Said Uresh.

I didn't know what to think or feel when Elodin dismissed me moments later. I made my way to the door when a hand grabbed my arm softly and turned me around. Elodin smiled at me and handed me a note. I smiled and took it, not trusting my voice to sound unaffected at the present time and he seemed to understand.


End file.
